There’s a reason that Chicago Fire remains the heart of the One Chicago universe, and it’s by virtue of its characters. At the top of the list is Chief Wallace Boden, the pinnacle of a leader and proof that every successful workplace is only as good as who’s on top.
When Boden’s trip to the supermarket is interrupted by an active shooter, he does what he does best–he reasons and shows his heart, allowing the young man to eventually understand that there’s plenty of heart still left in this world. There’s a lot about this episode that works, but it all boils down to the work Eamonn Walker puts in as Chief Boden, as well as the rest of the squad outside the store. The tension throughout is utterly harrowing, and the stakes are incredibly high, but somehow, when we make it to the end, it’s the type of rewarding episode that people will take about for days to come.